Eco-friendly and sustainable shampoos and conditioners to give you gorgeous hair

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If you are looking to lead a more eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle this year, take a look at the products you use on your hair.

Most shampoos and conditioners still come in bottles that are either non-recyclable or partly recyclable. So they most likely head straight for the landfill after you use them.

On top of this, most hair products contain chemicals that can contaminate the ocean when they are washed back into the sea.

Eco-friendly shampoos used to have the reputation of being less pampering for your hair. Not any more.

Today you can find sustainable organic haircare to suit you - even if your hair is permed, grey, straightened or coloured and needs extra care. Today you can use eco-friendly haircare, and still have gorgeous, shiny, healthy hair.

These new haircare products come at a time when the environment at the centre of everyone's attention. Many of us are now trying to find ways to take less from Mother Nature.

And your hair products are a fairly easy way to be more eco-friendly. So if you want to use less plastic, keep the ocean cleaner, and still have gorgeous hair, here are some hair brands you can try.

Moist Diane's Diane Be True series, $14.90, from various stores

Moist Diane’s newest line of hair products, the Diane Be True series, is made with vegan superfood ingredients and organic botanical oils to help you achieve gorgeous locks.

The Japanese silicone-free shampoo brand uses a formulation of ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients such as green pea shells, cactus oil, and rose water.

The hair products come in bottles that are not just minimalistic and chic, but that are also made of 96 per cent recycled plastic. This means that only four per cent of the bottles are made of virgin plastic.

Their range contains two shampoos and two treatments, with one set catered towards Smooth Repair and the other for Damage Repair.

All four bottles are priced at $14.90 each for 400ml. They are available at Watsons, Don Don Donki, and Fairprice in stores. Alternatively, shop their products here.

The Powder Shampoo, $39.90, from The Powder Shampoo

When you think of a product that thoroughly cleanses your hair, you probably think of the usual liquid shampoos. However, this brand is changing the game with powder shampoos.

These powder shampoos are not to be confused with dry shampoo – which is a kind of oil-absorbing powder. Dry shampoo just allows you to go one or two extra days without washing your hair.

Powder shampoo is different. Liquid shampoos can contain up to 90 per cent water. Powder shampoo is the active ingredients, without the water.

With a dry formula, there is less plastic packaging. Instead of big plastic bottles, you get an aluminium package. It can be used over and over again. Plus, you refill the aluminium container with the powder refill pouches.

The shampoos start as powders. When you add water the active ingredients turn into foam. So you just lather this foam onto your hair and wash away all the dirt the same way you normally do, with liquid shampoos.

This brand has powder shampoos to target a wide range of hair issues such as hair loss, dandruff. You can also find powder shampoos with scalp scare ingredients for oily, normal, and sensitive scalps.

Powder shampoos are priced at $39.90 while refills are priced at $34.90. Shop their products here.

Solid Shampoo and Conditioner, from $15, from Oasis Beauty Kitchen

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If you want to say goodbye to packaging altogether, take a look at these solid shampoos and hair conditioners. All about the zero-waste lifestyle, they are also silicone-free, which is a huge plus!

The hair conditioners are all made with organic shea butter and other plant-based ingredients to detangle your hair for a tangle-free brush through and incredible shine.

The solid shampoos all have a pH level of six and a half to seven. This is the natural pH of hair, so the shampoo leaves your hair feeling supple and shiny and clean, not dry and like straw. Plus these solid shampoos come wrapped in compostable paper printed with biodegradable soy ink.

To use their solid hair products, wet your hair and rub the shampoo bar onto your hair and scalp. The shampoo will lather up just like any regular shampoo. Continue washing your hair like normal.

Solid shampoos are priced at $15 while solid conditioners are priced at $16. They are available at their outlets at 280 Joo Chiat Road and #15-04, Tan Boon Liat Building. Alternatively, shop their products here.

Love Beauty And Planet Shampoo and Conditioner, from $3.53, from iHerb

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If you want to look good, feel good and do good, take a look at Love Beauty And Planet. Beauty products are packaged in 100 per cent recyclable plastic, and their ingredients are ethically sourced.

The company also aims to work with suppliers that promote fair wage jobs. Their products are vegan, with ingredients found in Mother Nature.

The brand offers a wide range of shampoos and conditioners that are made with “fast-rinse technology”. The shampoos wash out faster, with less hair rubbing.

This means that you save water because you spend less time washing the products out! Less rinsing and rubbing is also good for your hair, because ironically water dries your hair out, by removing too much of the healthy natural oils.

The shampoos are priced at $9.86 for 400ml and the conditioners are priced at $3.53 for 89ml. Shop their products here.

Klorane Products, $18.90, from Watsons

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Klorane’s products are produced in France with active botanical ingredients that are scientifically proven to work, while still respecting the eco-system.

The ECOCERT 26000 label means that Klorane products are recognised as eco-friendly. The brand aims for the highest levels of social responsibility, which includes using less resources and energy and cutting CO2 and carbon emissions.

They have such a wide range of hair products that it is worth taking the online quiz to find out which suits you best. Each line consists of a main active natural ingredient to target different hair needs. Then you can add on conditioners and masks to suit your individual needs.

Shampoos and conditioners are priced at $18.90. Shop their products here.

Beauty Kubes' Organic shampoo cubes, $17.90, from Your Sustainable Store

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These solid shampoos come in little cubes that you crumble in your hands. The you add water to make a shampoo paste that you can use to wash your hair. It might sound a bit fiddly – but the brand says there is no need to use a separate conditioner, so you save a step there.

This vegan-friendly product is created with natural ingredients and biodegradable cleansing agents that leave no chemical build up in your hair. The shampoo formula has no sulphates, no synthetic fragrance, and synthetic preservatives.

The packaging is pretty – little plastic-free boxes made out of bio-degradable wood pulp that you can chop up and make into compost, if you have a garden.

Each box contains 27 little cubes, which can last you anywhere from a month to two months depending on how often you wash your hair.

Each box is priced at $17.90. Shop their products here.

Alternative option: KMS Conscious Style

KMS Hair has recently released their latest line, KMS Conscious Style. This shampoo range aims to provide s more sustainable option while not sacrificing hair care performance and style.

The shampoos and conditioners are made with 98 per cent natural ingredients. Plus the bottles that are 97 per cent biodegradability.

KMS Hair Everyday Shampoo and Conditioner have lightweight textures that won’t weigh down your hair, and they will also protect your locks against environmental pollution.

The shampoo is priced at $36 and the conditioner is priced at $40. For those interested in purchasing these products, drop KMS a DM on their Instagram here.

The article was first published on The Singapore Women's Weekly.